The Town of Edgewood grants coordinator put in her letter of resignation on Nov. 12 just before the Town Commission meeting amid an ongoing struggle with administrative staffing, including the town manager’s resignation last month.
In Town Clerk-Treasurer Shaline Lopez’s report to the commissioners, she told them that earlier that morning, she had received a two-week notice letter from Emelia Mulligan informing her that she was resigning from the position as grants coordinator.
“It’s a terrible shame to lose her as part of our team, but we wish her the best going forward,” Lopez said.
She said the clerk’s office intends to post the vacancy as soon as possible. During public comment earlier in the meeting, a community member expressed concerns about the hiring process for a position earlier this year and requested that commissioners handle the opening for the town manager position differently.
Jean Demarte told commissioners that the position of the community liaison — which she said was originally posted on March 14, 2024, after debate about the position at a commission meeting — has been concerning her because she felt the position was created and filled without providing enough opportunity for people to apply for the job.
She said that, according to an Inspection of Public Records Act request, there was only one person interviewed for the job. Linda Burke started the job on April 1, just a few weeks after the job posting was initially posted.
“To me, that’s almost like the job was intended for Ms. Burke and nobody else was considered,” DeMarte said. “Thank you, and please don’t do the same thing with the town manager job.”
In Lopez’s report, she said that due to the vacancy of the town manager position, employees have been taking on additional duties that have been handled in order of priority. A recent bout of illness among employees, including herself, has also introduced additional duties for remaining employees to juggle, she said.
“While this has slowed production a bit, staff are stepping up to help whenever possible,” Lopez said. “I would like to commend them for working together to serve our community, even when it’s difficult.”
